Harrison's Reports (1938)

January 1, 1938 HARRISON'S REPORTS 3 "Crashing Hollywood" with Lee Tracy, Joan Woodbury and Richard Lane (RKO, January 7; time, 60 min.) A fairly good comedy-melodrama ; the Hollywood studio background gives it mass appeal. Although the story is ordinary, it holds one's attention because of the amusing characterizations. Credit must be given to Richard Lane, in the part of a Hollywood producer, for giving the picture most of its laughs. He takes ordinary lines and situations and makes them seem so comical that one forgets about the story defects. And for thrills, the closing scenes are exciting enough to please most fans ; it is there that the gangster is captured after a hectic chase through the different studio sets. The romance is moderately pleasant: Lee Tracy, bound for Hollywood, where he hoped to make good as a screen writer, is amused when Paul Guilfoyle, just previously released from prison, and his conniving wife (Lee Patrick) mistake him for a crook. Although his brief case was filled with scripts, they thought that it was full of stolen bonds. Guilfoyle, without letting Tracy know about his background, offers to collaborate with him on crook stories ; he supplies Tracy with information about the robberies in which his gang leader, "The Hawk" (Bradley Page), had been involved. The stories appeal to Lane, an eccentric producer, and he uses them for a new series with his leading actor (also played by Bradley Page) in the title part. The first picture is a great success. Tracy cannot go on, however, for he had lost Joan Woodbury, a girl he had met on the train, and with whom he had fallen in love ; she believed he really was a crook. They meet again and everything is explained. Then Miss Woodbury becomes his secretary. Things go on smoothly until the gangster, who had seen the picture and had become enraged, arrives in Hollywood. He tries to kill Guilfoyle, but is prevented by Tracy, who helps the police capture him. With the criminal out of the way, Tracy and Guilfoyle are able to continue with their script work. Paul Dickey and Mann Page wrote the story, and Paul Yawitz and Gladys Atwater, the screen play ; Lew Landers directed it, and Cliff Reid produced it. In the cast are Tom Kennedy, Frank M. Thomas, and others. Suitability, Class A. "Love and Hisses" with Walter Winchell, Ben Bernie and Simone Simon (20th Century-Fox, December 31 ; time, 84 min. ) A good box-office attraction, although not as entertaining as "Wake Up and Live" ; the fault lies in the silly story. Patrons who are still eager to see Winchell and Bernie, may like it ; others may find the continued "feud" pretty tiresome by this time. The real surprise is Simone Simon's display of talent as a singer ; she has a good voice and a charming delivery. In addition, she shows some improvement in her acting, but her accent is still too thick. There is plentiful music, some amusing clowning on the part of Joan Davis and Bert Lahr, and a romance. The picture ends with a big production number : — When Winchell exposes Bernie's new singing find (Miss Simon), whom he had never met, as a fraud, Bernie decides to teach Winchell a lesson. Through a ruse, he brings about a meeting between Miss Simon and Winchell, leading Winchell to believe that she descended from an aristocratic French family, who did not want her to go on the stage. Winchell is so impressed with her voice that he is enraged when Bernie refuses to engage her for his new cafe show. Wherever Winchell takes her for a hearing, he is met with rebuffs, for every one knew about Bernie's joke. Bernie's idea was to have Miss Simon appear in his cafe on the opening night and then inform the public how he had fooled Winchell. But Winchell finds out about the plot and decides to turn the tables on Bernie. Spreading a rumor that Miss Simon had been kidnapped, he sends himself a ransom note, demanding that $50,000 be brought to a certain secluded spot. Bernie and Winchell rush to the spot to plead with the gangsters to give them more time. They order Winchell to go back to the city for the money and hold Bernie as security, threatening to kill him unless Winchell returned by twelve o'clock. When Winchell does not return, the would-be kidnappers blindfold Bernie and make him believe that they were taking him to a dock to drown him. Instead, they take him to his cafe, where still blindfolded, Bernie pleads for his life, to the amusement of the assembled guests. When the bandage is removed from his eyes and Bernie finds out that the joke was on him, Intakes it good-naturedly. Miss Simon makes a hit. and i* happy when her sweetheart (Dick Baldwin) is recognized as a good song writer. Art Arthur wrote the story, and he and Curtis Kenyon, the screen play ; Sidney Lanfield directed it, and Kenneth MacGowan produced it. In the cast are Peters Sisters, Ruth Terry, Douglas Fowley, and others. Suitable for all. Class A. "The Shadow" with Charles Quigley and Rita Hay worth (Columbia, December 9; time, min.) Just an average murder mystery melodrama of program grade. It is mildly exciting, the only thing in its favor being that the identity of the murderer is so well concealed that the spectator is kept guessing to the very end. It is doubtful if any one will suspect who the murderer is. The circus background is neither novel nor exciting, and the settings look pretty cheap. It is in the closing scenes that the picture is somewhat thrilling ; there the heroine's life is endangered. The romance is of slight importance : — Upon the death of her father, Rita Hayworth takes over the management of the circus he had owned. She is downcast when she learns that the star performer (Donald Kirke), whom every one hated, held notes signed by her father amounting to $60,000 for moneys he had lent him : Kirke lets it be known that he intended to take over the circus. Before Kirke could carry out his threat he is murdered by a mysterious hooded figure. Kirke's crippled assistant (Dwight Frye), who, as it develops, was his brother, knows who the murderer is ; but before he can give the information to the police he is murdered. Charles Quigley, publicity agent for the circus, solves the case; he shows that the murderer was Sally St. Clair, Kirke's wife, who had been deserted by him some time previously. She and another girl, by using a harness, had passed for Siamese Twins and, therefore, had not been suspected. Miss Hayworth and Quigley decide to marry. Milton Raison wrote the story, and Arthur T. Horman, the screen play ; C. C. Coleman, Jr., directed it, and Wallace MacDonald produced it. In the cast are Marc Lawrence, Arthur Loft, Marjorie Main, and others. Unsuitable for children. Class B. "She's Got Everything" with Gene Raymond, Ann Sothern, Helen Broderick and Victor Moore (RKO, December 31 ; time, 72 min.) Just moderately entertaining. Aside from lavish settings and one comical situation, there is not much to recommend in this romantic comedy, for the story is extremely silly. Both Ann Sothern and Gene Raymond are handicapped by the trite material, and, despite their efforts, there is not much that they can do. Even Victor Moore and Helen Broderick, who usually can be depended upon to provoke hearty laughter, fail to get more than a smile, because of the trite dialogue. The one really comical situation is that in which Solly Ward, a fake hypnotist, puts Helen Broderick to sleep and does not know how to awaken her. In the closing scenes, everyone goes completely haywire in an attempt to be comical : — When Miss Sothern finds that her father's estate consisted of nothing but debts, she decides to go to work to pay the creditors. Moore and Miss Sothern's aunt (Helen Broderick) decide that the best thing for Miss Sothern to do would be to marry a millionaire. By promising that they would be fully repaid, Moore is able to get financial backing from three other creditors. Miss Sothern knows nothing, of course, about the scheme. Moore obtains a job for her with Raymond, millionaire coffee dealer, hoping that it would end in a romance. His plans work, for Raymond falls in love with Miss Sothern, as she does with him. Raymond finds out about the scheme and, thinking that Miss Sothern was in on it, becomes so incensed that he publicly denounces her. This infuriates her. Raymond is abashed when he learns the truth and apologizes, begging Miss Sothern to marry him. She agrees, her purpose being to pay him back for what he had done to her. And so she jilts him on their wedding day. Raymond is not angry ; instead, he rushes after her and prevents her from sailing, compelling her to marry him instead. Joseph Hoffman and Monroe ShafT wrote the story, and Harry Segall and Maxwell Shane, the screen play; Joseph Santley directed it and Albert Tx-wis produced it. In the cast arc Parkyakarkus, Billy Gilbert. William Brisbane, and others. Morally suitable for all. Class A.